Stroller ?

[aksunshine]

I'd like to get a new compact umbrella stroller for our trip in Jan. I wondered if anyone knew of one that has adjustable handles. My husband feels 'hunched' over with the ones we've tried! Thanks ahead!

 

[staci]

Just fyi, you can buy handle extenders. this may help you if you cant find a stroller that has the feature.

 

[blessedby3]

The Maclaren Volo I ordered for our trip has very high handles. My DH is 6'2" and he really enjoys pushing this one. The other cheaper umbrellas were always too short. I wish I had seen these strollers YEARS ago!! My oldest DD is 15 and boy have I been through the strollers. I realize that the Maclarens are a bit more expensive, but I would have saved hundreds of dollars if I had seen this line years ago. They are very sturdy and light. I would check into their website or go online and search baby stores and check them out. You would not be unhappy with them. And since you have one on the way you would get YEARS of use out of it. They have different models that recline and have more features than the volo. The volo is just all I needed for my DD7. It is basic. She doesnt need it at home, just for Disney. I paid $64 shipping included for my '04 model. Happy Hunting!!

 

[crazywig]

peg perego p3 has adjustable handles but it's probably more stroller than you're looking for.

maclarens are good for tall people, the inglesina swift has tall handles too.

i wouldn't get a volo if your child naps in the stroller, the volo does not recline. you can get a higher model (the quest) at www.albeebaby for $139 shipped. i have several maclarens and they are worth every penny.

 

[aksunshine]

Thanks everyone! I think to save $ I'll buy the extenders!

 

[DisneyPhD]

peg perego p3 has adjustable handles but it's probably more stroller than you're looking for.

maclarens are good for tall people, the inglesina swift has tall handles too.

i wouldn't get a volo if your child naps in the stroller, the volo does not recline. you can get a higher model (the quest) at www.albeebaby for $139 shipped. i have several maclarens and they are worth every penny.

I really want the P3 but am restraining myself since we have a combi travel savy DX from when DD#1 1st went to WDW and a peg pergo double (aria twin) so DH thinks we have enough stroller, but you can never have enough!

Still really want one, ugh, hubby doesn't appricate all my self restraint!

 

[JulieEck]

I need to buy a new stroller too and have been trying to make up my made between a Mac Quest and a Combi Ultra Savvy. Any thoughts between the 2? I'm buying this for Disney, but we need a new one to use at home anyway. The only thing missing would be cupholders, but the Ultra Savvy does have 2 for DD and a bag thing that supposedly holds 2 drinks. I'm not sure how sturdy it is though. Would that work for the refillable mugs with the skinny bottom that you get from the resorts? We are relying on Disney transportaion since we will not have a rental car and am using ME from the airport. I know the Mac comes with a rain cover, and if I got the Combi, I would definitely buy one to use. I guess I'm leaning toward the Combi right now.
My DD is 3 and is 26 pounds, 36 inches tall. No plans for another child either.
Julie

 

[DisneyPhD]

I need to buy a new stroller too and have been trying to make up my made between a Mac Quest and a Combi Ultra Savvy. Any thoughts between the 2? I'm buying this for Disney, but we need a new one to use at home anyway. The only thing missing would be cupholders, but the Ultra Savvy does have 2 for DD and a bag thing that supposedly holds 2 drinks. I'm not sure how sturdy it is though. Would that work for the refillable mugs with the skinny bottom that you get from the resorts? We are relying on Disney transportaion since we will not have a rental car and am using ME from the airport. I know the Mac comes with a rain cover, and if I got the Combi, I would definitely buy one to use. I guess I'm leaning toward the Combi right now.
My DD is 3 and is 26 pounds, 36 inches tall. No plans for another child either.
Julie

We have the combi, bought it when DD was 23 months old and it worked perfectly for us for WDW trips. We liked the cup holders and bar over the front (that is removeable.) It folds up well. It is rather "wigglly" I think the newer versons are more stiff. Might be harder to fold too.

It doesn't work as well for my 2nd child. She wants to stand up and pull on the bar. We have to strap her in or she will slip out the bottom. (we never strapped in DD #1, but she was older.) However it does work. It has served us very well and DD loved it. We so got our moneys worth out of it.

The basket is rather useless. We hang a small bag off the back. Much eaiser to handle on the bus. My friends got the same one, but kept stuff in the basket and didn't take it out. That means you can't fold it and it is rather useless then. It didn't work as well for them as it did for us.

If you DD is tall her legs can drag on the whelles. My friends had this problem with their DS. Our DD it wasn't a problem.
My biggest problem with Mac's is no bar or cup holders.

 

[JulieEck]

We have the combi, bought it when DD was 23 months old and it worked perfectly for us for WDW trips. We liked the cup holders and bar over the front (that is removeable.) It folds up well. It is rather "wigglly" I think the newer versons are more stiff. Might be harder to fold too.

It doesn't work as well for my 2nd child. She wants to stand up and pull on the bar. We have to strap her in or she will slip out the bottom. (we never strapped in DD #1, but she was older.) However it does work. It has served us very well and DD loved it. We so got our moneys worth out of it.

The basket is rather useless. We hang a small bag off the back. Much eaiser to handle on the bus. My friends got the same one, but kept stuff in the basket and didn't take it out. That means you can't fold it and it is rather useless then. It didn't work as well for them as it did for us.

If you DD is tall her legs can drag on the whelles. My friends had this problem with their DS. Our DD it wasn't a problem.
My biggest problem with Mac's is no bar or cup holders.

The lack of cupholders is my concern for the Mac too. We always use the ones on our Graco Literider whenever we are out somewhere. Too bad the Literider would be too cumbersome on the busses to bring that one along.

 

[traci]

We had to buy 2 combi savvy strollers for our upcoming trip and have been very pleased. For the price (about $70) I'm happy. It is lightweight, easy to open and close, sturdy and has a small basket. Works great for us

 

[applechips]

I am looking for info on strollers too. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Should I bring our clunky and unwieldy double stroller or get two single strollers or another brand doubler stroller?

This is our first trip to DW so I haven't a clue!

thanks for any info and sorry to hijack the thread!

 

[Lesley]

I highly recommend the Maclarens for taller people, though I had been eyeing up a Peg Perego for awhile. The mood passed and we've been getting by with the Mac. The two features I liked in the Peg were the step for a second child on the back and the fact that it stands up on its own when folded. Its kind of a pain that when we go to prop up the Mac it usually falls down. For the very tall the extending handles would be useful too. I think I would have gotten the Peg if my middle child had been willing to ride on the step. As it is, I love my Mac...it does push and steer very smoothly even into its 5th year of use.

I'll have 2 kids in strollers on the next trip and if the cost weren't so prohibitive I'd just go ahead and get the double rental in the parks....they work well as long as the smaller child sits up well and will hold bigger kids than the typical consumer stroller (at 7yo and 2yo my older kids shared one a few times). But at...oh how much are they now? $18 or something per day? we could easily buy a stroller for just the rental cost. What we're planning to do is get an inexpensive umbrella stroller and just go ahead and use two strollers if we feel both girls will need them (they'll be almost 6 and almost 2). We're going to try connectors and see how those work out, too. We used a $20 Kolcraft when my oldest was 4 and it was fine for him. One advantage we can see of bringing two single strollers is being able to park one for part of the day and only push it around when necessary.

We did bring a Sit N Stand on our last trip and I felt it was way too bulky and heavy. My main requirements for a WDW stroller are that it folds easily (preferably one handed) and that it isn't too heavy and bulky to carry onto the bus while also carrying the baby (or a backpack or holding a small child's hand...). I managed with the sit n stand but not as well as I'd have liked. If the double you have fits those requirements I'd just bring that. But I know the few doubles I've tried either wouldn't fit a 5yo or were incredibly heavy....or would barely fold down at all.

Sorry for the lengthy work of non-fiction...

 

[faindrops27]

For me, renting a double stroller at the parks is not the way to go . This is just my opinion. First, what will you have going through the airport, to transfer the kids, back, and forth to the resorts? Also, I find alot of people say, it is very convenient. I guess, if you are driving, but for me with needing transport within the airport, and other, outside disney activities. Restaurants, malls. No. The price. It just does not add up. For 18 dollars a day * 5 days=90? You are 50 dollars away from 2 combi strollers.. That will last through other vacations, walks in the malls, parks, etc.. I don't see throwing money away, on something that I cannot use in the future. JMHO

 

[staci]

I am looking for info on strollers too. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Should I bring our clunky and unwieldy double stroller or get two single strollers or another brand doubler stroller?

This is our first trip to DW so I haven't a clue!

thanks for any info and sorry to hijack the thread!

Do you not have any single strollers? I wouldnt buy another double, with your oldest being four you probably wouldnt get your use out of it.

I would probably bring an umbrella for the 4 year old. She may choose to walk around the resort/dtd/etc and then you would still be lugging the double for your youngest.

For your 1 year old, I assume you will want her/him to have the option to nap in the stroller? You could consider some of the more expensive lightweights that others have discussed in this thread (macs, combis, etc) if you think that you will use it in the future. Your oldest will outgrow the double soon so you may get some mileage out of a good quality single. I have seen the macs at target and they look very nice, but it just isnt in our budget .

If you are looking for an exepensive model mainly for your trip, I would suggest the Graco Umbroller. The reason that I say mainly for your trip is that my ds is a TALL 24 month old, and he is about 1 inch away from being too tall to recline in it. So you may outgrow it faster than an expensive one. The umbroller I have seen at Walmart WITH MICKEY MOUSE FABRIC for 34.99. It is small (11 lbs), reclines, has 1 cup holder, a very decent size basket for a compact stroller, and it has a sunshade with window. We got our older model about 18 months ago and have used it quite a bit. It was our second stroller but in recent months I got tired of hauling the heavy stroller around, so we have used this everywhere. It folds up very easily and is really quite compact.

Hope this helps you!

 

[LindaOwl1]

About the lack of cup holders: I found Cup holders that attach to the sides of umbrella strollers for about $8.00ea. Got mine in Buy Buy Baby in NJ. Putting one on each side for DH & me, and one lower down for DGD (almost 3).
I also found a great bag to hang on the back in the purse section of Target - $9.00 with plenty of pockets.
The umbrella stroller I chose was the Britax Esprit. $100.00, adjustable recline, padded, side handle to carry, built-in bottle holder on hood, and tall handles like the more expensive models.
Also got it in RED hoping to find it easier in the sea of stollers!!

 

[applechips]

I highly recommend the Maclarens for taller people, though I had been eyeing up a Peg Perego for awhile. The mood passed and we've been getting by with the Mac. The two features I liked in the Peg were the step for a second child on the back and the fact that it stands up on its own when folded. Its kind of a pain that when we go to prop up the Mac it usually falls down. For the very tall the extending handles would be useful too. I think I would have gotten the Peg if my middle child had been willing to ride on the step. As it is, I love my Mac...it does push and steer very smoothly even into its 5th year of use.

I'll have 2 kids in strollers on the next trip and if the cost weren't so prohibitive I'd just go ahead and get the double rental in the parks....they work well as long as the smaller child sits up well and will hold bigger kids than the typical consumer stroller (at 7yo and 2yo my older kids shared one a few times). But at...oh how much are they now? $18 or something per day? we could easily buy a stroller for just the rental cost. What we're planning to do is get an inexpensive umbrella stroller and just go ahead and use two strollers if we feel both girls will need them (they'll be almost 6 and almost 2). We're going to try connectors and see how those work out, too. We used a $20 Kolcraft when my oldest was 4 and it was fine for him. One advantage we can see of bringing two single strollers is being able to park one for part of the day and only push it around when necessary.

We did bring a Sit N Stand on our last trip and I felt it was way too bulky and heavy. My main requirements for a WDW stroller are that it folds easily (preferably one handed) and that it isn't too heavy and bulky to carry onto the bus while also carrying the baby (or a backpack or holding a small child's hand...). I managed with the sit n stand but not as well as I'd have liked. If the double you have fits those requirements I'd just bring that. But I know the few doubles I've tried either wouldn't fit a 5yo or were incredibly heavy....or would barely fold down at all.

Sorry for the lengthy work of non-fiction...

Heyyyyyyyyy I know that baby in your sig!

 

[Lesley]

Yep, but she's much bigger now! LOL

J, let me know if you want to use our extra umbrella stroller (assuming you have one single) for December. I haven't bought it yet actually, LOL, but I probably will soon so we can do a test run of the two stroller thing on a weekend outing....

I was going to get a pink girly one from one of the R Us places....perhaps your would be as excited about riding in it as mine seems to be!

See ya tomorrow!

Oh, and the thing about the Combi's....and the main reason I've never used one is that they're really small. There is no way my 5yo could ride in a Combi. But if you have kids closer in age and size its a good option. Actually, I might look into a Combi for our second single...use it for the baby. But I think my 5yo might be crushed to not get a pink stroller!

With kids 4-5 years apart, I do think the rental was at one time a good option. That is, when the rental was only $14 a day and we didn't need it every day (because ds, at 6-7yo, could handle most of the walking and was too big for any other stroller...we used it as much as a tool to get our 2yo to ride so we could move more quickly as we did a way to give his legs a break after a few days on the go). We did use our single to get to the park, then parked it and rented the double.

There really are a lot of possibilities....each family has to figure out what will work out best for them.

 

[applechips]

Thanks Lesley! I've gotten recommendations for the Combi Twin Savvy and the Inglesina twin strollers. I wish I could try one of them out in person before I purchase. I went to Babies R Us lastnight and tried the Peg Perego twin stroller and while I like that it was lightweight and compact, it seemed "rickety" to me. And for $329.00 (ouch) my dh was not impressed by it. Sooooooo off to see about trying a Combi or Inglesina in person. My one online friend said that the twin Inglesina was the "best Disney stroller" so we shall see.

Does anyone have a picture of what the Disney double strollers look like? Maybe I should post this as another thread.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Thanks Lesley! I've gotten recommendations for the Combi Twin Savvy and the Inglesina twin strollers. I wish I could try one of them out in person before I purchase. I went to Babies R Us lastnight and tried the Peg Perego twin stroller and while I like that it was lightweight and compact, it seemed "rickety" to me. And for $329.00 (ouch) my dh was not impressed by it. Sooooooo off to see about trying a Combi or Inglesina in person. My one online friend said that the twin Inglesina was the "best Disney stroller" so we shall see.

Does anyone have a picture of what the Disney double strollers look like? Maybe I should post this as another thread.

I have never tried the Inglesiana, but the comib is much more "rickety" then my peg pergo aria twin. That is one reason I really wanted, it pushes sooooooo nicely. Even loopsided (older and younger kid, or only one kid and it still pushs very smoothly.) The price can be high, we paid a little less then that online with free shipping just under $300. We are still very pleased with it. Most people I know who have it feel the same way, but I heard one person who felt it pushed like it was in the sand. This really surprized me and I wonder if something was wrong with hers, or if she had a different model or year then mine.

BRU had a recent coupon in the mail for 20% off any one purchase, it was tempting to get the P3, I refrained.

I don't have a link, but I know there are many to what the strollers look like. This is the best I could find, but if you look at around at allears, you most likely will find a link to a picture.

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

 

[applechips]

I have never tried the Inglesiana, but the comib is much more "rickety" then my peg pergo aria twin. That is one reason I really wanted, it pushes sooooooo nicely. Even loopsided (older and younger kid, or only one kid and it still pushs very smoothly.) The price can be high, we paid a little less then that online with free shipping just under $300. We are still very pleased with it. Most people I know who have it feel the same way, but I heard one person who felt it pushed like it was in the sand. This really surprized me and I wonder if something was wrong with hers, or if she had a different model or year then mine.

BRU had a recent coupon in the mail for 20% off any one purchase, it was tempting to get the P3, I refrained.

I don't have a link, but I know there are many to what the strollers look like. This is the best I could find, but if you look at around at allears, you most likely will find a link to a picture.

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

So you found the Combi twin to be more rickety than the Peg? Hmm, my dh will not like the price tag on the Peg if I have to buy that one.
Thanks for the link to all ears on the strollers! They had pics of all of them on their pages.

BTW your children are beautiful! Thanks for your info!